Perioperative β-Blocker Use Spiked Stroke Mortality: Metoprolol was also linked with a significantly higher rate of all-cause death versus placebo.

ORLANDO — A strikingly elevated risk for stroke and total mortality in patients who received the β-blocker metoprolol CR starting a few hours before noncardiac surgery in a trial with more than 8,000 patients triggered a quick change in practice in hospitals across the United States.